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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · track · sharp · season · wound · club · wave · leaves

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. track — a song
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. lean — to bend
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wound — an injury
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. season — of the year
  17. lean — thin
  18. season — in sport
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. club — for golf
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. track — a path

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com